Keep Breathing This Christmas
Keep Breathing This Christmas
It's Supposed To Be A Season Of Joy, Not Stress
by Michael D. Hume, M.S.
If you're like many of my clients, you are in the middle of a season of stress. Whether you own your own business and have to make a year's profit in the next month, or are a salesman or executive pushing to make your year-end numbers, it's a busy time for most folks. Even investors have to execute shrewd moves now, making accurate reads of everything from single-company financials to the shaky global economy. Add all the holiday "festivities," from shopping to parties, and the stress can really pile up.
During most of the year, you have your five key daily health habits to help you maintain your vitality while dealing with normal stress loads. I call them The NEWSS: Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sleep, and Supplements. You need to keep a little pilot-light flickering for each of these habits (how hard is it to take your daily vitamins, for instance?), but many people are just too busy to maintain their usual discipline with The NEWSS during the holidays.
You don't want to think about all the toxins building up inside your body while you let your health habits slip during the holidays. Thinking about that won't make the season more joyful! And your body becomes more vulnerable to toxins as your stress level mounts. So here are three ideas to help you keep the stress a little lower through the holidays.
First, keep breathing. If you are not doing breathing exercises every day, the season of stress is a perfect time to renew your efforts. Ideally, find a quiet place, just before lunch, and spend just three minutes focusing on your breathing. Close your eyes, and try not to think about all the stuff that's stressing you out. Instead, block those thoughts out by thinking about your breathing. A good trick is to count about four seconds for each deep inhalation, and about eight-to-ten seconds for each deep exhalation. Set the alarm on your cell phone for three minutes (five or more is better), so you don't have to open your eyes to watch the clock. While it may be quite a challenge to do this for even three minutes, you'll find this little break in the middle of a stressful day does help compensate for many health-habit shortcomings, from lack of sleep to less-than-optimal exercise and nutrition.
Check yourself. Whenever you're out at a grocery or drug store, look for one of those free blood-pressure machines. How's your reading? If you pressure is too high, make a concerted effort to find more healthy ways to enjoy the holidays. You might be drinking a little more alcohol or caffeine than usual. You may not be getting enough fresh fruit and vegetable in your diet. Don't let your blood pressure run wild during the holidays; it only takes two minutes to check it. Also, while most experts don't recommend you jump on the bathroom scale while you're trying to lose weight, I think it's not a bad idea to check your weight every couple of days or so during the holidays. Your pants will tell you when you're gaining too much weight too quickly... and the bathroom scale will confirm it! A little bit of bad news from the scale might serve as the motivation you need to get back to your disciplined health habits after New Year's - and to cool it a little with the pastries in the meantime.
Finally, any cleansing you can do during this season will really help keep the toxicity in your body under some control. The ideal cleanse takes several days of fasting and consuming only fresh fruit and veggie juices, in addition to undergoing daily colon hydrotherapy... you don't have time for that right now. I do that sort of cleanse twice a year - first of spring, and first of autumn - but the busy nature of the holiday season doesn't really allow for it. Instead, drop by the health food store (or even a grocery store) and look for a gentle cleansing supplement you can add to your daily vitamins. If you don't see it at the store, look online. But if you can find some of these supplements, they'll help keep things moving through you and minimize the toxic buildup.
One more point I'll make: enjoy the season! Don't let it be all about the work and the stress. Your mood is one of the biggest factors that influences your health... besides, why stay healthy if you aren't going to enjoy your life?
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